Replace Your Ride EV Charger Grant: $2,000 Rules (2026)

South Coast AQMD's Replace Your Ride program can pay up to $2,000 toward buying and installing a Level 2 home EV charger, on top of up to $12,000 to trade an old gas car for a plug-in hybrid or battery EV. The charger money comes with strict electrical paperwork, and the program is paused for new applications. If you're in Pasadena, Los Angeles or the San Gabriel Valley and already in the program, or waiting for it to reopen, here's what the charger grant requires. Planning a charger? Request a free estimate or call 747-255-8595.

What Replace Your Ride Pays, and the Current Pause

Replace Your Ride is a voucher program, not a rebate. You apply and qualify first, then buy or lease through a participating dealership, then turn in your old car to an authorized dismantler. AQMD's current flyer lists these grant amounts:

• Battery electric (BEV) or fuel cell: $10,000, or $12,000 in a Disadvantaged Community (DAC) census tract
• Plug-in hybrid (PHEV): $9,500, or $11,500 in a DAC
• e-Bike or public transportation mobility card: $7,500
• Level 2 charger (EVSE): up to $2,000 if you buy a PHEV or BEV through the program

Important: the official Replace Your Ride site currently says the program "is currently paused for new applications due to high demand, limited funding and a programmatic review." AQMD will post an announcement when it resumes. If you already bought a car, you can't apply after the fact.

The $2,000 Level 2 Charger Grant: Official Rules

Replace Your Ride's eligibility page spells out the charger rules. Participants who buy or lease a new or used PHEV or BEV through the program can receive up to $2,000 toward the purchase and installation of a Level 2 charger, as long as:

• An EVITP-certified electrician does the install. A licensed electrician alone isn't enough. The installer has to hold Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program certification. See our explainer on what EVITP certification means, and ask any installer for the certificate before you sign. 911 Construction & Electric's installing electricians are EVITP-certified, so our charger installs meet this requirement.
• The permit is finalized and signed off by your city or county.
• Everything happens within 6 months. The purchase, the installation and the incentive submission all have to be done within six months after you surrender your old car to the dismantler.

Reimbursement is mailed to you within 3 to 4 months of submitting complete charger documents. The charger money is listed only for PHEVs and BEVs, not fuel cell cars.

The Paperwork Your Electrician Has to Produce

This is where most of the electrical work, and most of the risk, sits. Replace Your Ride's required charger documents are:

1. Paid invoices for the Level 2 charger purchase and for the installation
2. California Form 590
3. The EVITP electrician's estimate, with invoice number, date, name and installation address
4. A load calculation
5. A finalized permit, usually the inspector-signed and dated job card with the permit number
6. Photos of the panel, the conduit, the installed Level 2 charger, and the vehicle plugged in and charging

A load calculation shows whether your service can carry a 240-volt charger circuit. Many older Pasadena and Altadena homes have 100-amp or smaller panels, so you may need a panel upgrade or EV load management before the charger goes in. Permits go through the right office for your address: Pasadena Building & Safety, LADBS in the City of Los Angeles, LA County Public Works in Altadena, or your own city's building division in Glendale, Burbank and most SGV cities. Because the six-month clock starts at surrender, line up your estimate and load check before you hand over the keys. Our EV charger permit guide covers inspections.

Who Qualifies for Replace Your Ride

Per the official RYR eligibility page (other restrictions apply):

• Location: you live within South Coast AQMD's jurisdiction, which covers all of Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. That includes Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Altadena and the SGV.
• Income: household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, based on your most recent IRS Form 1040. AQMD updated its income table for applications on or after July 1, 2026, so use the current table, not an old flyer.
• The car you retire: gas or diesel, titled in your name at least 24 months, operated in California for the past 24 months, no lienholder, and operational through the whole process. The current eligibility page says model year 2004 or older for new applications; older flyers said 2010, so confirm with AQMD.
• The replacement: a 2019 or newer PHEV, BEV or fuel cell vehicle from a participating dealership, under 100,000 miles, no open recalls, a $65,000 maximum vehicle cost, and you keep it at least 30 months.
• One incentive per IRS household, for the lifetime of the program.

Stacking It With SCE, LADWP and AQMD's $500 Rebate

Your utility decides what else is available:

• SCE Charge Ready Home (Altadena, South Pasadena, Arcadia, San Marino, Sierra Madre and other SCE cities): for income-qualified households or homes in a Disadvantaged Community, SCE lists up to $4,200 for a panel upgrade to 200 amps plus a 240-volt EV outlet, or up to $1,000 for the outlet alone if your panel is already 200 amps or more. It doesn't cover the charger itself. 911 is an in-network Charge Ready Home contractor, so we claim that rebate directly for you. See our SCE Charge Ready Home eligibility guide.
• LADWP (most City of LA neighborhoods): up to $1,000 toward a Level 2 charger and installation, or $1,500 for Lifeline and EZ-SAVE customers. It can't exceed your cost minus other incentives. See our LADWP EV charger rebate guide.
• Pasadena (PWP), Glendale (GWP) and Burbank (BWP) run their own programs. Pasadena homeowners can start with our Pasadena EV charger rebate post.
• AQMD's Residential EV Charging Incentive Program is separate from Replace Your Ride and still listed as active. It offers up to $500 (or the charger price, if lower) toward hardware only for low-income residents who show a CARE or FERA utility bill or a CalWORKs or TANF card. The charger must be new, UL-listed, hard-wired and permitted, and stay in place at least three years.

These programs pay for different pieces, but none of the official pages we checked guarantees they'll stack on the same invoice. Ask each program before you count on more than one, and keep separate, itemized invoices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Replace Your Ride accepting applications right now?

Not new ones. As of November 9, 2026, the official site says the program is paused for new applications while AQMD processes pending vouchers and approved applicants. Watch replaceyourride.com for the reopening notice.

Does the $2,000 cover installation or just the charger?

Both. Replace Your Ride says up to $2,000 goes toward the purchase and installation of a Level 2 charger, with paid invoices for each.

Do I need an EVITP-certified electrician?

Yes. Replace Your Ride requires installation by an EVITP-certified electrician, plus the electrician's estimate in your file. Ask to see the installer's EVITP certificate before work starts. 911 Construction & Electric's installing electricians are EVITP-certified.

How long do I have to install the charger?

Six months from the day your old car is surrendered to the dismantler. Purchase, installation and your charger paperwork all have to be done in that window.

Does Replace Your Ride work in Pasadena?

Yes. Pasadena is inside South Coast AQMD's jurisdiction. Your permit goes through Pasadena Building & Safety, and PWP, not SCE, is your utility for any utility charger rebate.

Planning a Replace Your Ride Charger? Call a Licensed C-10

911 Construction & Electric Inc. is a licensed, bonded and insured C-10 electrical contractor (CA Lic. #1027421) at 1308 E Colorado Blvd Ste 141, Pasadena, CA 91106, serving Pasadena, Altadena, Glendale, Burbank, Arcadia, the San Gabriel Valley and greater Los Angeles. We handle EV charger installation from the load calculation and permit through final inspection, and give you the itemized invoices and photos rebate programs ask for. Pasadena homeowners can also see our Pasadena panel upgrade page. Request a free estimate, call 747-255-8595 or visit https://911electrics.com/. 24/7 emergency service available.